Honeymoon trip - driving to Italy

[benchar]

Morning all,

My fiancé and myself are getting married next June and for the honeymoon we have decided to drive to Italy. We plan initially to drive down to Dover and get the crossing to Calais, but haven’t settled on a route down from there. I’m wondering if anyone here has made a similar journey recently and can suggest the best route to take, where to stop, etc. I have already decided that the Stelvio Pass is a ‘must’, but I don’t have any other fixed points along the way. My criteria is basically that I want to enjoy the drive, not be hassled by Gendarmes / Polizei / other local law enforcers, nice scenery etc. I also don’t want to spend 6 or 7 hour stints at the wheel so would like to stop reasonably regularly.

Overall, we’re looking to spend around 2.5 – 3 weeks for the trip, so I need to keep this in mind when considering what we can and can’t find time to do.

Any suggestions you have are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[dcb]

benchar said:

but haven’t settled on a route down from there.

Depends what you want - I would stop for an overnighter
in Luxembourg, get the cheap booze, fags and petrol and canter
on south to the Alps if I were you.

Autobahns A5, A7 and A9 recommended.

benchar said:

I have already decided that the Stelvio Pass is a ‘must’,

Clarkie has a lot to answer for. Do I hear sheep ?

I much preferred the Hahntennjoch west of Imst.
At 6,000 feet or so, it's a tiddler, but plenty
of fast sweepers.

benchar said:

not be hassled by Gendarmes / Polizei / other local law enforcers,

I find UK coppers the keenest in Europe to enforce speed restrictions.

Elsewhere in Europe, they aren't so keen. They will be looking much
more closely at the quality of your driving, however.

benchar said:

Overall, we’re looking to spend around 2.5 – 3 weeks for the trip, so I need to keep this in mind when considering what we can and can’t find time to do.

You've got plenty of time to explore lots of Europe.

Don't forget to leave plenty of time for shopping
for Madam's entertainment. Try to keep it below
300 miles a day, or if you are in the Alps, under 100 miles
is good.

http://www.alpineroads.com/

has it all.

[Stablelad]

Try to take in Lake Como en-route as it's truly stunning.

[benchar]

dcb - I decided I wanted to drive Stelvio after reading an issue of Evo around 5/6 years ago where they tested the Porsche 996 GT3 Mk2 against the Ferrari 360 CS; nothing to do with Clarkson. I can imagine that regulars of that particular region are not too impressed with the additional exposure provided by Top Gear! Thanks for your advice though, some good suggestions. Like I said, I'm open to suggestion really. Not sure how much room we'll have in the car for fags and booze if we've got 3 weeks worth of luggage. Cheap petrol is always a plus though. What are hotel prices in Luxembourg like?

Stablelad - I do intend to take in Lake Como. There, Milan and ultimately, Florence are where we plan to stay whilst down in Italy.

[dcb]

benchar said:

dcb - I decided I wanted to drive Stelvio after reading an issue of Evo around 5/6 years ago where they tested the Porsche 996 GT3 Mk2 against the Ferrari 360 CS; nothing to do with Clarkson.

Good point - I did jump the gun somewhat in assuming
Clarkie was responsible for your selection.

There are far more interesting roads to drive nearby, however.

I assume you are taking the Porsche - I feel the Toyota would
be just too slow.

benchar said:

I can imagine that regulars of that particular region are not too impressed with the additional exposure provided by Top Gear!

Last time I was there, I saw 20+ cars with English plates going up the East side.

I guess the local cafes and restaurants are happy with
the extra business.

benchar said:

Thanks for your advice though, some good suggestions. Like I said, I'm open to suggestion really. Not sure how much room we'll have in the car for fags and booze if we've got 3 weeks worth of luggage. Cheap petrol is always a plus though. What are hotel prices in Luxembourg like?

The more supplies you buy on the way out there,
the less luggage space you'll have for your other half
to fill with the results from shopping trips.
Which might mean a bit less shopping time.

And, if you take the Porsche, it probably has total
luggage space of about 250 litres, so you won't be
carrying vast amounts anyway.

I can't really remember what hotel prices are like in Lux,
but it's entirely possible to stop off there without having an
overnighter.

If you do overnight it there, there more to Lux than Lux city
itself. Little places like Echternach and Remich are agreeable.

Let's not forget that a three week holiday doesn't mean
you have to take three weeks worth of clothes. They have
washing machines and jeans / T shirt shops abroad, you know.

[skodamanpat]

Wander down to Lucerne for your next stop, and from there you are straight onto the Grimsel, furka, nufenen, Gothard passes, take your pick. Plenty of other attractions on route as well such as the Reichenbach falls. Stop the night in Airolo before tackling the san Barnadino and onto Chur. From Chur go onto Davos and the Fluelapass navigate around the Stelvio and attack it from the East ramp to drop you into Bormio for the night.From Bormio head towards and along the shores of Lake Como before reaching Milan. Then you could always get on the autostrada for sunny Sant'Agata or Maranello . A short drive to Florence for a day of culture, then onto Pisa. Follow the coast to Portofino and round to Cannes. From Cannes take the route Napoloen through Grasse and onto the Verdon Gorge. A nice circular drive around the Gorge then up to Barratier. From Barratier you could head West to Mt Ventoux, then further West to the Millau bridge and then a leisurely trip home through France. Alternatively you could head NE and do a full circle and open up a whole Pandoras box of exciting roads and scenary

Edited by skodamanpat on Tuesday 21st July 20:37

Edited by skodamanpat on Tuesday 21st July 20:37

[benchar]

dcb - Have just noticed a thread you started regarding the Stelvio pass, will have a read of that when I get the chance. It's obviously not ideal if there are a load of other tourists there so that I spend the whole drive either stuck behind something slower or checking my mirrors for someone faster. However, as driving this road has been something of an ambition, I do feel I would be missing out if I by-passed it altogether. Is it feasible for me to take in the nearby roads as well?

Yeah, I will be taking the Porsche. The Toyota is my daily driver and has even less luggage capacity than the 911, so it was never really in with a shout! As for the clothes, I don't think I own 3 weeks worth, so finding a washing machine en-route is a must!

skodamanpat - Thanks for the response, that's exactly the sort of thing I was after. I think I need to buy myself a big map of the region and a felt tip pen to start marking these places on it!

[skodamanpat]

benchar said:

Is it feasible for me to take in the nearby roads as well?

skodamanpat - Thanks for the response, that's exactly the sort of thing I was after. I think I need to buy myself a big map of the region and a felt tip pen to start marking these places on it!

Pleasure, lots of treasures around the stelvio depending on

a) how much time you want to spend driving
b) how adventurous you want to be (single track/ gravel- loose surface/ 0 barriers with a 3,000ft drop etc etc.)

You will need a detailed and lg scale map for many of the roads to be even marked, but look up Fluelapass, ofenpass, umbrailpass, reschenpass, timmelsjoch, Jaufenpass, Passo di Pennes, passo della mendola, passo delle palade, All of which can be done in a loop leading back to the Stelvio. From the Stelvio out of Bormio there are some real challenges to be had, paso di Gavia, passo del Mortirolo, neither of which are for the faint hearted.(the latter you may struggle to find marked on a map.) Then its a straight run to Milan over the Aprica pass and round Lk. Como iirc.

Just one other point worth mentioning, before you set your route and dates in stone, do a quick search on the cycling forums etc to make sure none of the roads will be closed, as many are used for big cycle races.

Edited by skodamanpat on Wednesday 22 July 16:07

[BluePurpleRed]

benchar said:

dcb - I decided I wanted to drive Stelvio after reading an issue of Evo around 5/6 years ago where they tested the Porsche 996 GT3 Mk2 against the Ferrari 360 CS; nothing to do with Clarkson. I can imagine that regulars of that particular region are not too impressed with the additional exposure provided by Top Gear! Thanks for your advice though, some good suggestions. Like I said, I'm open to suggestion really. Not sure how much room we'll have in the car for fags and booze if we've got 3 weeks worth of luggage. Cheap petrol is always a plus though. What are hotel prices in Luxembourg like?

Stablelad - I do intend to take in Lake Como. There, Milan and ultimately, Florence are where we plan to stay whilst down in Italy.

I have just booked here... http://www.sanmamete.com/ I'll let you know around 25th Aug when I get back. I'll also post up the route I am taking on my blog / here when I have it finalised...

[cat220]

Apologies for reviving an old thread, but i'm planning a similar trip next month and would be interested to hear what routes you guys eventually decided on?

Thanks,
C

[benchar]

Was a bit surprised to see this thread bumped!

We got married on Friday 18th June and set off on the following Monday. Day one involved driving from Manchester down to Dover, nipping over the Channel and staying the night in Calais. From there, we headed south to Epernay in the heart of the Champagne region, which took around 3 hours by autoroute.



After one night in Epernay, we then headed to Lucerne in Switzerland, as suggested by by skodamanpat a few posts above (if you're reading this SMP, I don't think I thanked you, but your suggestions were really useful!). Again, just one night here as the schedule was quite tight, but I'd highly recommend a visit here. We then headed toward Italy to spend a couple of nights in Livigno, which is located just over the border into Italy. Went via the Fluelapass, comfortably the best road I've ever driven and a must if you like driving (and as you're reading this, that's a fair assumption!). Beautifully surfaced, lightly trafficked and with plenty of hairpins.




A good tip if you do decide to go to Livigno; the area is duty free so not only can you do plenty of shopping, fuel here is less than 90c per litre. I found this out after brimming the car just before crssing the border unfortunately! From here we headed down to Lake Como where we watched Germany give England a good hiding, then from there down the coast to Rapallo. We did plan to stay in Portofino, but after a (very) brief visit, we concluded that even a single night would have blown a serious hole in our budget.

Following Rapallo, we headed into Tuscany and stayed a couple of nights in Lucca. We fancied visiting Florence but had been warned away from staying in the centre, so we were advised to give a place called Fiesole a visit. Fiesole is located about 8km north east of Florence and there is bus that runs about every 20 minutes or so.

This was as far south as we ventured. I'd agreed to meet with a couple of friends who live in Munich so we headed north a stopped over in Bolzano for a night. From there, a quick dash through Austria and into Germany to meet my mates and give the car a bit of stick on the autobahn! From Munich we needed to head back to Calais, so decided to split the journey by staying another night in Epernay. Then back across the channel and home. Total mileage was about 2800 miles.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you want any further details of the trip.

[cat220]

Excellent thanks for the reply! Your trip sounds great, heading off tomorrow afternoon and following a similar route however going down through Germany first.

Congrats on getting married!